The Portland daily press., 1887-12-12
THE WAR BEGINS.
Expiration of the Ten Days Grace for
Bangor RumseIlers.
The Special constables Prepared for
a Vigorous Crusade.
How the People Feel over the
New Departure.



| BANGOR, Dec. 10.-Today was the last Of
the ten days of grace allowed to the rum
sellers by State Constables Mayville and
Hartman; Monday morning the crusade will
| commence In earnest. What it will amount
to remains to be seen. The friends of tenn
| perance here are quite confident that the sale
| of liquors will be much restricted. and that
the hundred or more saloons now run without
| molestation will be reduced TO very few
| places. The temperance people have started
with the determination to go at the task
| thoroughly and judiciously. The constables
| published in the papers notice to 1.-THE rum
| sellers that the latter could have ten days in
| which to get rid of their stock and prepare
TO close up their places of business. A sepa-
rate notice was also served ON the apotheca-
ries. The object of this, the constables said,
was to prevent any needless destruction Of
property in the course of the enforcement of
the law. They wish to create assfew antago-
nisms as possible.
About the sentiment of the people of Ban
gor on the question, little need be said. Had
this been strong enough to secure the en-
forcement of the law by use of the ordinary
local machinery, the State constables would
not, of course. have been appointed. But
there are large number of citizens of Ban
gor who are thoroughly in earnest in favor of
the means Governor Bodwell has taken, and
there are many more temperance people who
will approve If they see that the method
really tends to lesson the evils of rum. I'm
fortunately there are great many temper
ance people in Bangor who have no faith in
an enforcement of the prohibitory law, be-
cause the last attempt at enforcement was
not wholly fortunate. Many other people as
might be expected, are loud in their denun-
Citations Of Governor Bodwell
1t was ten years ago that the last attempt
was made. Jerrard was sheriff, and he made
it very hot for the rumsellers. His deputies
were efficient and jealous, and their work is
remembered to this day But as the law then
was it was possible for clubs to spring up.
There were scores of them in Bangor. Each
member was furnished with ticket, which
was punched every time he took drink.
When his ticket was all,punched up, he was
expected to deposit money for another
ticket. These clubs, of course, were worse
than the saloons. Drunkenness did not de-
crease; the young men were going to ruin
faster than ever. The people of Bangor be-
came disgusted with prohibition. The re-
suits did not pay, they thought, for the ex-
penses and turmoils of Sheriff Jerrard's en-
ergetic enforcement.
For the ten years since there has been
practically no enforcement. The city Off
cials have used the law to force all saloons
to close promptly after ten o'clock at night
and all day Sundays. If any places have
become nuisances, as the resort Of drunken
men or for drunken brawls, the prohibitory
law has generally been invoked against them
But beyond these restrictions the sale of rum
has been practically unrestricted. And
when the temperance people have remon-
strated there have been large class of citi-
zens who have at once raised the cry that en-
foreement would mean a return of the
scenes of the days of Sheriff Jerrard. In
their imaginations there could be but two
conditions in Bangor: free rum or return
TO the regime of Jerrard; and to a large num-
ber of temperance men the one is consid-
cred as bad as the other So it has been
very difficult to do anything.
But at last feeling has gained ground
that times, and also the Maine law, have
changed; and that an enforcement of the law
need not mean clubs and secret drinking.
Men, like Hon. ]. S. Wheelwright have be-
come convinced that the law may be enforced
so wisely and judciously that there may be
neither open saloons nor clubs, and that no
man shall keep a saloon except at his peril.
These men are heartily supported by the
Bangor Whig, whose proprietors are con-
sistent friends of the temperance cause. 1t
is said here that Governor Bodwell has de-
clared that If Hartman and Mayville do not
do their duty he shall remove them at once
and appoint others. They, however, intend
to go right ahead and enforce the law to the
best of their ability.
1t is reported here that petition has gone
in to the governor for the appointment of an
other constable, to bring the number up to
four as it was before the resignation of the
Hamden man. There is also talk here of
starting a movement to bring before the
next legislature a proposition to have the
police judges Throughout the State removable
by the governor who appoints them.